PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Thailand’s Natthakritta Vongtaveelap was disqualified from the first round of the 78th U.S. Women’s Open after her caddie, Jinsup Kim, used a distance-measuring device on multiple holes.
Vongtaveelap, a promising 20-year-old rookie from Thailand, was even par through five holes at Pebble Beach Golf Links and competing in her first U.S. Women’s Open on Thursday.
The USGA released a statement that read:
“During the first round, on multiple occasions, the caddie for Natthakritta Vongtaveelap used a distance measuring device, which is not allowed in the U.S. Women’s Open. The first breach is a general penalty, and the second breach resulted in disqualification.”
Distance measuring devices were allowed at the recent KPMG Women’s PGA at Baltusrol. The only places on tour they are not allowed are here at the U.S. Women’s Open and the AIG Women’s British Open.
An executive with the USGA defended McIlroy, as well as the veteran official who gave the ruling.
It’s been just more than a week since Rory McIlroy lost the 2023 U.S. Open to Wyndham Clark by one shot after he made a crucial bogey on the par 5 14th hole, his lone blemish of the final round.
And if you can think back to Sunday at Los Angeles Country Club, you’ll remember McIlroy got a favorable ruling from an embedded lie that allowed him to drop in the bunker to only make bogey to remain in contention.
On Monday, an executive with the United States Golf Association told Sports Illustrated that McIlroy took an incorrect drop after consulting with a veteran rules official.
“The nearest point of relief was mis-identified; it should have been directly behind the ball,” said the USGA’s chief governance officer, Thomas Pagel. “If there’s no area immediately behind the ball, you go to nearest point in the general area. But if you look at where the ball was embedded, there was a grassy area below and that should have been the starting point.”
Rory McIlroy gets relief from an embedded ball on the 14th green during the final round of the 123rd U.S. Open Championship at The Los Angeles Country Club on June 18, 2023, in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
McIlroy’s third shot to the 14th green got caught in thick grass surrounding a greenside bunker, and after a short search his playing partner, Scottie Scheffler, found the ball. Rules official Courtney Myrhum, who has officiated more than 60 USGA championships, confirmed the ball was embedded and allowed McIlroy to take a free drop.
“His ball was 100 percent embedded,” Pagel said in agreement with the official. “And an embedded ball not in sand is entitled to relief. Now Rory did everything at the discretion of the referee. In her discretion, her judgment was that the reference point for relief was to the side of the ball. And from a ruling standpoint, that’s the end of the story.”
Pagel continued to defend Myrhum, noting how “she’s an extremely well-qualified referee and she did everything in her judgment where to operate the drop. However, after further review, it was determined that there was a spot in the general area immediately behind the ball that was the reference point for relief.”
Because there was space between the ball and the bunker, McIlroy was entitled to a one-club length drop, no closer to the hole, from the “the general area” of the embedded spot, meaning a drop from the bunker was incorrect.
“If you look at where the ball embedded, just below should have been the starting point (for taking one club length relief),” Pagel said. “But even if his club length had been measured from behind the ball, he still would have been dropping on the shelf from where he played from. As it was, he measured the club length from the top of the wall to the right. As he dropped the ball out of that area, he had to drop a second time.”
“When you start dealing with vertical faces, that’s where the question is,” Pagel added. “In this case, there was a lot going on. But there was a place behind the ball where he could have started to measure.”
“From where he started measuring from, he didn’t get a break. And he did all of this at the discretion of the referee. He wasn’t doing anything to gain an advantage and as he was told how to apply the rule on where to drop.”
Every golfer has dealt with leaves being around their ball in the fairway or a rake being in the way near the green. Lucky for you, you can move those objects without getting a penalty for it, if you do it the correct way.
This week, Golfweek‘s fitness guru and long driver Averee Dovsek demonstrates how to deal with loose impediments and movable obstructions including the aforementioned leaves and rakes.
Keep these tips in mind the next time you have to deal with one of these objects.
If you’re interested in any of Averee’s fitness content, click here.
If you’re looking for more instruction, click here.
Golfweek‘s Averee Dovsek demonstrates how to properly mark and move your ball out of your playing partners line.
Golf rules can be confusing and some golfers have been making simple ruling mistakes without even knowing it. It’s easy to get in the habit of incorrect rulings when there is no rules official playing with your Sunday group.
This week, Golfweek‘s fitness guru and long driver Averee Dovsek is demonstrating how to properly mark and move your ball out of your playing partners line.
When done incorrectly, this can cost you penalty strokes and upset your playing partners. Send this to a golfer who needs a ruling refresh or is brand new to the game.
If you’re interested in any of Averee’s fitness content, click here.
If you’re looking for more instruction, click here.
Speculation erupted after cameras showed Collin Morikawa marking his ball.
Collin Morikawa was 1 under through five holes Thursday during the opening round of the 2023 Masters at Augusta National Golf Club.
After hitting his tee shot on the par-3 sixth to 37 feet below the hole, an apparent controversy arose as a video quickly made its way around social media showing Morikawa marking his ball.
In the video, you can see where his mark was behind the ball, then you can see Morikawa move his mark closer to the ball.
Had the ball moved prior to that?
After his round, Morikawa said that it did.
“Yeah, the ball moved, and then I moved it back,” he said. “Pretty standard now. Pretty routine in our rules book thankfully.”
According to Rule 13.1d of the U.S. Golf Association guidelines, a ball that has moved must be replaced to the original location, which it appears Morikawa tried to do.
Morikawa made par on the hole, then birdied the next one to get to 2 under. He signed for a 3-under 69.
“Look, if I showed up to this course and it was firm and fast, I probably would never put my putter down because you never know when that’s going to just trickle on. Now it’s was on a little mound and moved and nothing wrong with that,” he said.
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After answering some other questions about his round, the topic of the ball mark on No. 6 came up again.
Q.Did anyone, before you signed your scorecard, bring up the marking on 6 just to ask you what happened there?
COLLIN MORIKAWA: No. Is that a big talk?
Q.It’s blowing up on social media.
Q.They cut the video from when you were crouched down moving it. Instead of showing you addressing it and the ball rolling back.
COLLIN MORIKAWA: So they what? Good. Bring that PIP up. Blow me up, guys. What happened? Just so I know.
Q.It’s on Twitter. It’s someone taking like a video of the TV, and she start the video when you’re already crouched down with the marker behind and moving the ball.
COLLIN MORIKAWA: With the marker like this far behind. Because I threw it down because I was going to throw the marker back. I’m not fine. There’s no rules official. You guys are freaking me out here. I’m going to get hunted down.
Q.You’re good.
COLLIN MORIKAWA: Good. PIP’s going up.
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Woods said on a competitive level, the change would create more of a separation among the elites.
AUGUSTA, Ga. – Tiger Woods tossed a couple of balata balls to Rory McIlroy on Monday while practicing at Augusta National. McIlroy putted a few and said: “Oh, my God.”
“I said, ‘Yes, exactly,’ ” recalled Woods during his pre-tournament press conference at the 87th Masters. “We’re not going to roll the ball back that far, but it’s kind of neat to be able to see the golf ball do different things.”
Last month, the USGA and R&A proposed a Model Local Rule intended to reduce distance at the highest levels of men’s golf. The proposal involves the use of modified golf balls that would reduce hitting distances by 14-15 yards on average for the longest hitters with the highest clubhead speeds.
Woods is in favor of the change, noting that it should’ve been done a long time ago.
“The average number used to be, what, 280 off the tee, 279 when I first came out on Tour,” noted Woods. “Now the guys are carrying it 320, OK. So not every golf course can be like Augusta National and move property and moving holes back. There’s only so many golf courses you can do that on, and we still want to be able to play the old traditional great golf courses.”
Woods went on to say that he’d like to see players who compete in professional events use a pro ball, while players competing in amateur tournaments use an amateur ball.
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“But if you’re an amateur playing a pro event, now that’s where the transition can be had, where you can start, I wouldn’t say rolling the game back,” he said, “but you can start slowing it down because we’re just not able to create enough property out there.”
Tiger Woods plays a practice round ahead of the 2023 Masters at Augusta National Golf Club. (Photo: Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Network)
Woods acknowledged the marketing hurdles that would come with pros and amateurs playing two different balls. But on a competitive level, he said, the change would create more of a separation among the elites.
“OK, well, on Tour, it’s exciting to see Rory McIlroy hit it 340 yards on every hole,” he said. “But does it challenge us and separate the guys who can really hit the ball in the middle of the face and control their shots? I think if you roll the ball back a little bit, you’ll see that the better ball-strikers will have more of an advantage over the guys who miss it a little bit.”
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Woods’ close friend Justin Thomas is among the PGA Tour’s most vocal critics when it comes to the proposed changes, saying “It’s so bad for the game of golf.”
Should the rule be adopted by the PGA Tour, the earliest it could be implemented is Jan. 1, 2026. When asked how the changes might impact him personally, Woods said he may be “in the buggy” by then, presumably referring to the PGA Tour Champions.
“Last week, I was at home playing at Medalist,” he continued, “and I had my old persimmon driver, and I was able to still carry the ball 290 yards. Now, when I missed it, no, it did not go very far. But the ability to hit the ball in the middle of the face was rewarded.”
Gannett may earn revenue from sports betting operators for audience referrals to betting services. Sports betting operators have no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. Terms apply, see operator site for Terms and Conditions. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, help is available. Call the National Council on Problem Gambling 24/7 at 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ, OH), 1-800-522-4700 (CO), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN). Must be 21 or older to gamble. Sports betting and gambling are not legal in all locations. Be sure to comply with laws applicable where you reside.
EVANS, Ga. — Augusta National Women’s Amateur defending champion Anna Davis will face a severe uphill climb in her title defense after a four-shot penalty. Davis picked up her ball twice from the rough on the first hole at Champions Retreat to lift, clean and place, she explained after the round.
Davis thought she recorded a bogey on the hole but wound up with a nine, as two penalty strokes are applied to each infraction. Davis said she was informed of the potential violation on the fourth tee, which she proceeded to double.
The tournament released the following statement after her round: “During play of her first hole, Anna Davis lifted her ball and failed to replace it on its original spot on two separate occurrences. Under Rule 9.4, Ms. Davis has been penalized two strokes for each occurrence of playing from a wrong place. Her score on hole 1 will be increased from 5 to 9.”
“Little rough start to the day,” said Davis, “but that’s alright, it happens. It’s a learning experience.”
Augusta National sent out a memo to players on March 28 noting that due to heavy rains earlier in the week, the committee opted to adopt Model Local Rule E-3 “preferred lies” for the first two rounds of the tournament.
The rule restricts the use of preferred lies to “areas cut to fairway height or less.” Davis mistakenly thought the rule was for the entire course, which is why she did it twice on the first hole. She didn’t find out until after her round that she would take the penalty.
“I asked my scorer if we were doing it like everywhere,” said Davis, “but I guess he didn’t know. But he said, ‘Yeah, we were.’ So whatever, it happens.”
Davis has Ryan Bisharat, a family friend and former University of San Diego college player who plays out of the same club in California, on the bag this week. Davis said Bisharat tried to take the blame, and she assured him that everything was OK.
LPGA Q-Series was especially brutal for Alana Uriell.
Editor’s note: This story has been corrected to reflect the LPGA’s clarification that Alana Uriell signed for a birdie when it should have been a par.
Few things in golf are tougher than the grind of Qualifying School. Particularly the LPGA’s eight-round marathon that started this week. But Friday at LPGA Q-Series in Mobile, Alabama, was especially brutal for Alana Uriell.
The 26-year-old signed for a wrong score in the second round – signing for a birdie that should’ve been a par – and was disqualified. An LPGA media official relayed that Uriell came into the tournament office after the fact and self-reported the error.
Uriell opened with an even-par 72. She would’ve been 4 under for the tournament and in a share of 18th. The top 45 players this week earn LPGA status for 2023. The field is cut to top 70 and ties after the first four rounds, played at Magnolia Grove over the Crossings and Falls courses.
The former Arkansas player from Carlsbad, California, competed in 21 events on the LPGA this season and finished 130th on the Race to CME Globe points list. She earned $66,506 this season.
Riley Rennell and Manon De Roey pace the field at 10 under.
HOUSTON – Now, this is something you definitely don’t see every day.
Mark Hubbard was disqualified after finishing his second round of the 2022 Cadence Bank Houston Open at Memorial Park Golf Course on Friday after violating Rule 4.1c.
What did Hubbard do, exactly?
“Hubbard knowingly added a 15th club at the turn and used the club several times without declaring it out of play,” per the PGA Tour.
The rules of golf state there can be only 14 clubs in a player’s bag during a round.
It is unclear what club Hubbard added to his bag. Hubbard, who shot 75-74 (9 over) in the first two rounds, was going to miss the cut, his third straight.
Mark Hubbard is a DQ after the second round of the Cadence Bank Houston Open due to a violation of Rule 4.1c.
Hubbard knowingly added a 15th club at the turn and used the club several times without declaring it out of play.
Set to take effect Jan. 1, 2023, the USGA and the R&A want to make the rules more inclusive and sustainable.
Every four years, the USGA and the R&A, the two organizations that maintain the Rules of Golf, make updates and modifications to the code that establishes how the game is officially played. Sometimes the rule changes are significant and at other times, they are clarifications. On Monday, with the announcement of rule changes that will take effect starting Jan. 1, 2023, the USGA and the R&A’s biggest focus is on sustainability and inclusion.
After the 2019 updates to the Rules of Golf were announced, the USGA and the R&A printed two million copies of the rule book. No more. The USGA and the R&A have announced that they will not be making printed copies of the Rules of Golf, forgoing the use of a half billion pieces of paper and saving the organizations significant costs. It also eliminates the costs associated with shipping and distributing the books. Going forward, they hope golfers will utilize the free Official Rules of Golf mobile app on their smartphones.
“We feel really good about the digital means that we have created to access the rules,” said Craig Winter, the USGA’s senior director of rules and amateur status. “Going forward, we’re not going to be relying on the rules book being in every bag. Everybody has a smartphone, and they can download the free app. We’re continuing to move forward and modernize, as we did in 2019, and it connects us to the golfer better. The mobile app is real-time, digital and we can keep them updated.”
Cindy Lawrence hits her tee shot on the 12th during the first round of the 2022 U.S. Adaptive Open at Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina. (Photo: Jeff Haynes/USGA)
A year after the first U.S. Adaptive Open was held at Pinehurst, the USGA and R&A are moving the Modified Rules for Players With Disabilities into the Rules of Golf. Developed by the USGA and the R&A with input from adaptive organizations developed in 1996, the Modified Rules for Players With Disabilities were a set of standardized accommodations that provided courses and tournament committees with guidelines when they hosted events for players with special needs, but as Model Local Rules, they had to be adopted to go into effect. Starting Jan. 1, the modifications will automatically be in place for everyone who needs them.
“Right now, that set of rules sits in the back of the official guide,” Winter said. “We know there are millions of golfers, millions of individuals out there that could be benefitting from this and by moving them into Rule 25 it raises the level of awareness, just like the U.S. Adaptive Open will continue to do. There are rules for individuals that do need to be modified, and the modifications are very practical. The committees don’t need to do anything to make this happen. This really makes the game more welcoming.”
Four other rule changes were also announced on Monday:
